The Blog of Robert Van Valkenburgh
Obviously, it is not easy work to change the world or how it functions. It is not easy to do something new, to conceive of and make manifest that which never was before. However, we are beings of creation who exist to create. To simply accept that which is, without question, and without adding some [...]
When our Taikyoku Budo group first started cross-training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu out of my home dojo (Seiya Dojo), my friend Dwayne Bowie (now a partner with my brother and myself at Kogen Dojo), who was then a BJJ purple belt, came in every Wednesday night to co-teach with me. The idea was that I would [...]
One of my best friends growing up likes to say, “Hip Hop is medicine.” I have pondered this statement for some time now because music in general, not just hip hop, has always been a healing mechanism for me. Music was there when I otherwise felt completely alone in the world. I could sit with [...]
The original title for my blog was going to be ‘My Darkness to Light,’ with the overall theme being my battle with depression and my journey into a better way of living, with martial arts and holistic arts being essential stepping stones along that path. After playing with this idea for a while, however, I [...]
After many years of severe depression and several prior failed attempts, mother's mother took her own life when I was a young child. She had been severely abused growing up and was never able to overcome the demons that haunted her. A beautiful woman, a New York City model, I never really knew her, but [...]
What is a 'traditional' Thanksgiving? If you are surrounded by love and laughter, does it matter from what country the food you share originated, so long as it was prepared and offered with care and kindness? We are a nation of immigrants from diverse backgrounds, with unique stories, cultures, and cuisines. Regardless of the historical [...]
Gratitude is often thought of as a passive emotion, something that washes over you or overcomes you in moments of realization or reflection. It is usually used as a synonym for thankfulness, a way of describing a feeling. A longtime mentor, a man in whom I have confided and from whom I have received guidance [...]
